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Acid Dad / Wine Lips / Wax Jaw (PhilaMOCA, Philadelphia, PA, April 21, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 21, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 21, 2023] Acid Dad / Wine Lips / Wax Jaw

I saw Acid Dad back in October and really liked them.  I knew I wanted to see them again, so when they announced this show on the same night that I had a ticket for M83, I was torn.

I decided to grab a ticket because they were really cheap.

And then the day of the show, I wound up not going out at all.  We had been doing things around then house and it felt kind of weird to leave a guest at home.  So I bailed on all of the shows.

Wine Lips is a band I didn’t know.  They are a trio of Cam Hilborn on Guitar and Vocals with Aurora Evans on Drums and Charlie Weare on Bass.

Their music seemed to fit well with Acid Dad as this review says:

“Fuzzy, loud and fast, Wine Lips are a garage/ punk/ psychedelic band whose music feels like a shot of adrenaline to the heart. A no holds barred kind of rock n roll that’ll make you want to buy a motorcycle, just to crash it.” – Sled Island

Wax Jaw must have been added at the last minute because I didn’t even know they were supposed to be there.  They are a Philly five piece who describe their music as “philly dirty surf rock” which fits the bill.

But Markit Aneight has a video of their show (I assume ones of Acid Dad and Wine Lips are coming) and I really liked them.

I missed a good night.

Interestingly, Wax Jaw had their debut live show at PhilaMoCA just a couple of months earlier.  And here’s that show.

Posted in Acid Dad, Philadelphia, PA, PhilaMOCA, Wax Jaw, Wine Lips | Leave a Comment »

M83 / Jeremiah Chiu (Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia, PA, April 21, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 21, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 21, 2023] M83 / Jeremiah Chiu

Back in 2005 I bought an M83 album, Before the Dawn Heals Us.  I also got the 2008 album Saturdays = Youth.  Then I kind of forgot about them.  Ironically, it was their next album, Hurry Up We’re Dreaming, that produce the massive hit “Midnight City,” a song I have known for years since it is on the radio a lot but which I had no idea was M83.

When it was announced that M83 had a new tour coming–the first in a while–I decided to grab a ticket.  I’d heard good things about their live show.  But when I listened to the new album, Fantasy, I thought it was kind of bland.  And I didn’t really relish the thought of standing there for ninety minutes of chillout music.

When I listened to the opening act Jeremiah Chiu, his music was certainly interesting (the nineteen minute improvisational Leaving Grass Mountain–a duet with electronics and viola–was trippy), but it really didn’t change my mind about wanting to see them.

Then it turned out that Acid Dad was going to be playing across town at PhilaMoCAand I really wanted to see them again.

It also turned out that Chris Forsyth and Purling Hiss were playing at Johnny Brenda’s

And that Andy Shauf was playing at Union Transfer.

An embarrassment of riches, so I opted not to go.  I also found out this show sold out and tried to sell my ticket, but I was a little too late for it.

Sounds like the show was really good though.

 

Posted in Franklin Music Hall, Jeremiah Chiu, M83, Philadelphia, PA | Leave a Comment »

Skinny Puppy (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, April 18, 2023)

April 19, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: April 18, 2023] Skinny Puppy

I saw Skinny Puppy with my friend Garry back in 1988–on Halloween.  Thirty-four and a half years later and I saw them again on their Final Tour.  It would have been great to see them with him, but he was in Florida at the time, so that made it tough.  He did see the a few weeks ago though, so it’s almost like we saw the show together (except that his setlist was so much better than ours).

Turns out lead singer Oghr had been ill the night before and had to miss the Pittsburgh show.  He was fine for our show, although I assume ours was several songs shorter because of it.

So I admit to being something of a “fake fan” as my daughter says.  I liked them a lot back in the day, but haven’t really listened to them in twenty-five years.  I haven’t listened to much of any of their newer stuff at all.  But Garry told me that this was something of a greatest hits show.

The show didn’t really go very well for me in large part because of the audience.

The guy in front of me who had been into Lead Into Gold, suddenly turned into a full-on dancing arms in the air lunatic, making it impossible to stand behind him.  About half way in, some guy decided he was going to start slam dancing and managed to smash as hard as he could into everyone (including me) around him.  I  thought a fight might break out.  There were several girls who were talking at full volume and late in the show a very drunk guy started talking to me about how Oghr had been throwing up in Pittsburgh the night before. Continue Reading »

Posted in Lead Into Gold, Philadelphia, PA, Skinny Puppy, The Met Philadelphia | Leave a Comment »

Fruit Bats / H.C. McEntire (Brooklyn Bowl, Philadelphia, PA, April 19, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 19, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 19, 2022] Fruit Bats / H.C. McEntire

Exactly one year ago to the day, Fruit Bats played Philadelphia.  My wife really liked the song that was on the radio, so when the show was announced I grabbed us tickets.   We never listened to anything else by them, and when the night of the show came up, we had other things to do, so we didn’t go.

It’s a year later.  I don’t even know if they have new music out.  Suffice to say we didn’t plan to go.

H.C. McEntire is from North Carolina.  She plays piano and sounds (at least on “Rows of Clover” remarkably like Tori Amos (with more of a southern accent).  On another song she sounds less like Tori and more Southern.  I probably would have enjoyed her as an opening act.

Posted in Brooklyn Bowl, Fruit Bats, H.C. McEntire, Philadelphia, PA | Leave a Comment »

The Sadies / Carson McHone (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, April 18, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 18, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 18, 2023] The Sadies / Carson McHone

I could clearly spend most of my time at Johnny Brenda’s, but somehow, I seem to blow off these show more than any others.

I’ve been aware of The Sadies for a pretty long time, although I’ve never really listened to them much.  I kind of assumed they were a country band.  Wikipedia describes them as a a Canadian rock and roll / country and western band.

They are quite beloved by other musicians (in and out of Canada) and just about everyone has sung guest vocals with them (their first three songs on Spotify feature Neko Case, Kurt Vile and Gord Downie).  Just as I was becoming more familiar with them, their singer Dallas Good died suddenly.  I assumed that that was the end for the band, but they have continued.

My brother-in-law saw them recently and said they were great.  I would have liked to see them, but I had tickets to the Final Skinny Puppy show.  So I wasn’t going to miss that.

Carson McHone is a singer-songwriter from Austin. In describing her music, Nashville Scene Magazine says “she’s a young country singer who expresses herself through the form while avoiding the formalism that etiolates the work of many country purists.”

I wouldn’t have specified her as country as much as these review do.  She doesn’t have a twang, but I can see the connection to country.  I like her anyway,

This would have been a good bill.

Posted in Carson McHone, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, The Sadies | Leave a Comment »

Lead Into Gold (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, April 18, 2023) [SKINNY PUPPY]

April 18, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: April 18, 2023] Lead Into Gold

I figured that Skinny Puppy would have an interesting opening band. I vaguely remembered hearing of Lead Into Gold.  When they projected the logo on a screen at one point it looked very familiar.

I see that they put out an album in 1990 so I might have heard a song (apparently “Faster Than Light”), but I don’t really recall.

I also had no idea that I was in the presence of Industrial Royalty, as Paul Barker himself is Lead Into Gold.  Barker was known as Hermes Pan and was the engineer and producer for Ministry as well as many other bands.

When the duo came out on stage, I wasn’t even sure who was the main person because the guy with the keytar, yes, keytar, was wearing a shimmery gold pajama-looking suit.  But he stepped aside as Barker played the gadget that the gold man was standing in front of to make an interesting industrial instrumental. Continue Reading »

Posted in Lead Into Gold, Philadelphia, PA, Skinny Puppy, The Met Philadelphia | Leave a Comment »

Black Belt Eagle Scout / Claire Glass & Adobo (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, April 17, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 17, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 17, 2023] Black Belt Eagle Scout / Claire Glass & Adobo

When I first heard about Black Belt Eagle Scout back in 2018, I was really inrigued:

Katherine Paul grew up on a small Indian reservation in the Pacific Northwest. The singer, who performs as Black Belt Eagle Scout, identifies as a “radical indigenous queer feminist” and is influenced by Native American tradition as well as indie rock.

But when I listened to her song, I found it kind of bland.  Her voice is soft and pretty, but the indie rock component was pretty minimal and was, as I say, kind of bland.

It’s now five years later and the new Black Belt Eagle Scout album, The Land, The Water the Sky, ups everything that I found missing that first time around.

I rather wanted to go to this show and a friend of mine says it was really good.  But I have a birthday party to attend to coming up and I’m out tomorrow night so it was important to stay home.

Claire Glass Claire Glass is the solo project of Claire Puckett (of Hikes and Mother Falcon). This iteration highlights intricate classical guitar compositions overlaid with delicate vocals, with lyrical content prodding the deeper meanings of everyday wonders. Her newest release, “Dust”, explores themes of spiritual seeking after religion, alluding to Phillip Pullman’s ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy. It blends classical guitar with airy synths to create an ethereal, otherworldly feel.

Adobo Adobo is the solo project of Filipinx naturalist Nay Mapalo (of Hikes); Adobo is a foray into patient, emotive songs that pull inspiration from pop composition and the intricacies of classical guitar technique.

The listing said Claire Glass and Adobo were performing together, but photos made that seem incorrect.

 

Posted in Adobo, Black Belt Eagle Scout, Claire Glass, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA | Leave a Comment »

Caroline Polachek / George Clanton (Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia, PA, April 14, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 14, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 14, 2023] Caroline Polachek / George Clanton

Caroline Polacheck is a name that I keep hearing in the context of someone that I should be listening to.  It kind of blows my mind when someone I don’t know (but who is in a genre that I like) plays a venue the size of Franklin Music Hall.

Polachek co-founded the band Chairlift who I guess I don’t actually know, but who I’ve at least heard of.

But this review of Polacheck puts her squarely in my wheelhouse of musical taste

At its highest register, her voice is diaphanous and otherworldly, somewhere between the call of a siren and the religious arias of an 11th-century abbess. When combined with Polachek’s futuristic synth stylings, the result is like something from a science-fiction novel. Polachek is lithe and willowy, with a surreal, selkie beauty that matches her ethereal voice. Her visual work deals heavily in the fantastical, where her elven features fit right in — it’s almost hard to imagine what she would look like in everyday clothes (or, rather, it’s easy to imagine that she simply wears leather, buckles and 18th-century corsetry to the grocery store). She frequently co-directs her music videos, which take inspiration from Greek mythology, obscure surrealism and historical fantasy.

Although I don’t really like her music all that much.  I don’t dislike it, it just doesn’t quite do it for me. Continue Reading »

Posted in Caroline Polacheck, Franklin Music Hall, George Clanton, Philadelphia, PA | Leave a Comment »

Diavolo (State Theatre, New Brunswick, NJ, April 13, 2023) [rescheduled date, rescheduled again and again] [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 13, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 13, 2023] Diavolo [rescheduled from April 28, 2020, April 29, 2021 and March 25, 2022]

After all of these postponements, I wondered if we would actually get to see it this year.

It turned out that this date was on my kids’ Spring Break and we decided to go to the beach during the day.  By the time of the show we were in no condition to go anywhere–exhaustion from the heat and the sun kept us at home.  Sorry Diavolo.

~~~~~

And now, the resurgence had made a third postponement.

By 2023, I wonder if any of the same people will still be in the troupe?

~~~

One might have thought postponing this show an entire year would have been sufficient.  But now they have postponed again for nearly another entire year.  I think I’ll be very ready to see a Cirque by then.

I love going to see Cirques–all kinds of fun acrobatics and stunts on display.  When my kids were younger, we went to a lot of them.  Then we stopped for a while and I felt it was time to do it again.

Diavolo is in fact a dance company, but they perform amazing acrobatics and physically demanding pieces (as you can see from the reviews like: “Diavolo’s performers are fearless, elegant and strong with a sense of timing by which a Swiss watch could be set, and the way the troupe interacts with the moving sets, makes for a truly spectacular and awe inspiring show”).

I found out about this show after it was cancelled, but when I saw that it was rescheduled for April of 2021, I was really interested in going to see it with the family.

VOYAGE is Diavolo’s newest adventure, inspired by travels in space and the 50th Anniversary of the first Moon Landing. A young woman dreams of traveling distances only astronauts can, escaping from the ordinary world into a surreal landscape of infinite possibilities. Gravity-defying bodies join her on a large wheel structure that rolls along the stage and on the journey in a universe that is alive with kinetic energy, fantastical whimsy, and surprising transformation.

TRAJECTOIRE is a signature Diavolo work that takes the audience on a visceral and emotional journey through the ebb and flow of the human experience. Watch as performers jump on and off a “Trajectoire” which is a 3,000 pound boat made of wood, aluminum, and steel that continuously rocks back and forth. Watch the performers struggle to find their balance on a voyage of destiny and destination in a daring display that shows the transcendence of the human soul against all odds.

diavolo

Posted in Acrobats, Diavolo, New Brunswick, NJ, State Theatre | Leave a Comment »

Sleaford Mods (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, April 11, 2023)

April 12, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: April 11, 2023] Sleaford Mods

I’ve been aware of Sleaford Mods for a few years.  I enjoy them a little more in theory than in reality.  It’s a little aggressive for me and Jason Williamson is a little too angry for my tastes these days.  But I still thought they would be fun to see live.

When Sheer Mag was done, the roadies cleared out everything from the stage–amps, gear, banner.  Everything stripped out.

There was nothing on the stage when Andrew Fearn came up with a table and a laptop.   Then they brought up a microphone.

And that was that.

So what the heck is this band all about?

Sleaford Mods have described their work as “electronic munt minimalist punk-hop rants for the working class.” Williamson is responsible for the words, Fearn for the music. Sleaford Mods songs have been described as embittered rants about such topics as unemployment, modern working life, celebrities and pop culture, capitalism and society in general. The lyrics usually contain profanity, which is, according to Williamson, the way in which he speaks and “not just fucking swearing.” Fearn’s music has been described as “purgatorial loop[s]” of “pugilistic post-punk-style bass; functional but unprepossessing beats; occasional cheap keyboard riffs and listless wafts of guitar.” Williamson’s voice on Sleaford Mods songs is sprechgesang, rapped with an East Midlands dialect.

So they don’t really do rap.  But they kind of do.  Continue Reading »

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Sheer Mag, Sleaford Mods, Underground Arts | Leave a Comment »

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